It is well known in the art to provide table surfaces integrated with power saws (e.g., circular table saw, jigsaw, scroll saw, band saw). A table surface provides an area to support the work piece as it is pushed into the cutting blade of the table saw. Table surfaces come in a variety of shapes (e.g., rectangular, circular) and many different sizes.
Manufacturers also integrate conventional guide fence apparatus with table saws to increase the precision of straight cuts. It is also known to provide a guide fence apparatus adjustable between cuts, thus allowing the operator to make straight cuts along different lines of the work piece. A conventional guide fence apparatus is oriented perpendicular to the cutting surface of the table saw's cutting blade.
Many drawbacks exist when using a table surface and conventional guide fence apparatus. First, many times the table surface is not large enough to safely cut a work piece and simultaneously allow the operator to remain close to the cutting blade to facilitate precision cutting. Second, many table surfaces do not provide the operator the ability to manipulate the work piece by its bottom surface. Third, many conventional guide fence apparatus cannot guide a work piece along a multi-directional figure (e.g., a square) in one cut.
The present invention addresses each of these drawbacks. The invention provides a shaped extension work surface that attaches to the existing table saw providing a larger work surface. This allows the operator to perform more precise, safer cuts, even of larger items. Without the extension table, an operator may be forced to direct his attention to supporting and balancing the work piece if it is too large for the conventional table surface, thus, reducing the precision and safety of the table saw. Moreover, although manufacturers have used larger table surfaces, their shapes make it impossible for the operator to remain close to the cutting blade decreasing the operator's ability to perform intricate cuts. The shape of the extension work surface is generally U-shaped with cutting occurring near the center of the U-shape's base. The operator stands between the arms of the U-shape, thus, remaining close to the cut point to ensure precision while relying on the extension table to support a larger work piece.
In many instances, the best way to manipulate a work piece and perform an intricate cut is by working with its back surface. Normally, the back surface of a work piece is flush to the table surface. The invention contemplates gaps allowing manipulation of the work piece by its back surface.
Finally, an easily adjustable guide fence apparatus used in conjunction with a cutting blade having a circular cutting surface provide the ability to change directions of a guided cut without removing the work piece from contact with the cutting blade. To perform a series of guided cuts in different directions using a conventional guide fence, a cut is made in one direction, the work piece is removed, the saw fence adjusted, the work piece is placed on the table surface against the newly positioned guide fence and the next cut is made. The process is repeated until the series of desired cuts is completed. Using the invention, cuts are made by a blade having a circular cutting surface, and, instead of removing the work piece between cuts, a unique guide fence apparatus is adjusted and the work piece is rotated until the next desired cut direction is parallel to the guide fence.
The invention is designed to be supported by the existing support frame of a conventional table saw or the floor allowing backward compatibility with pre-existing table saws. The legs are adjustable in length and pivot at the connection point to the extension work surface. The combination of these attributes allows the operator to customize the position of the extension work surface in relation to the existing table surface depending on how the operator chooses to support the extension table (i.e., from the support frame of the conventional table saw or from the floor). The ability to perform these same adjustments insures the extension work surface will be flush and parallel to the existing table surface, insuring smooth motion of the work piece over the entire work surface.
Thus, the extension table provides a larger work surface without sacrificing the operator's closeness to the cutting blade, an opening to manipulate the work piece by its bottom surface and a unique guide fence apparatus used in conjunction with a cutting blade having a circular cutting surface to perform consecutive guided straight cuts in differing directions.